The Father I Never Wanted
by thenamesstephanie
Summary: When Allison's mother told her boyfriend that she was pregnant, he panicked and left. Now, Ally is sixteen and has gained a father in her step-dad. But, when her mom and dad die in a car accident, Ally is forced to live with the man who she believes never wanted her in the first place. The fact that he is Tony Stark only makes things worse.
1. No Way

The first sensation I felt across my body was dull pain. I wanted to rub my throbbing head, but that would have included raising my arm and, with it being so heavy with drowsiness, I decided against it. From the sounds of my surroundings, I could tell there was a fan spinning above me, but lightly, and I was sure that the TV must have been on in the other room because I could hear the sounds of dozens of cars, all of them beeping at each other in the endless war to be the loudest. My arm was lying on top of a very soft, fluffy blanket which was warm and comforting as opposed to the thin sheets that absorbed the cool air in the room.

Finally, with a groan, I opened my eyes and my brow furrowed immediately, my body tensing. The room I was in wasn't mine. It was large- too large to be a bedroom, really- and brightly lit with natural daylight that came streaming in from the wall behind me which was constructed completely out of glass. Looking down, I found that the sheets were a deep, dark red while the blanket was a rich gold. The rest of the room was not decorated all that much except for a few pieces of art hung up on the wall. However, there was a dresser standing across from me, a large mirror attached to it. Going from furrowed to high onto my forehead, my brow shifted as I looked up and saw the reflection of outside- straight out the window, clear above everything else, was the Empire State Building, its lightning rod just barely making it up to the halfway point of the window. It was then that my brain put together the fact that there was no TV on; the honks were coming from outside.

"What the hell?"

I went to sit up and try to get a better grasp of what was going on, but my shoulder shouted out in pain and I fell back down, my upper body weight now being supported by my elbow. I looked over myself and, other than a few bruises dotting my skin and a white bandage wrapped around my left bicep, I seemed fine. But, as my right shoulder continued to yell for attention, I pulled down the sleeve of the too big AC/DC shirt I was wearing (why was I wearing an AC/DC shirt?) and exposed another bandage- this one much larger- wrapped around my shoulder and upper chest.

"You may want to take it easy getting up."

My head shot up toward the door and a man was standing there, leaning against the threshold; I could tell he was trying extremely hard not to grin. His dark brown hair was styled nicely, brushed back and away from his face. He had bright, large brown eyes and his small smile (he wasn't succeeding in his attempt not to) was framed by a unique beard- one that I recognized, but had never seen in person before. His arms were crossed over his chest, and just above them, a small circle of blue light shined dimly through the dark fabric of his Black Sabbath t-shirt.

"No way."


	2. There Won't Be a Scratch On Me

15 Hours Earlier

Laughter boomed over the soft rock streaming out of the radio as we pulled into the driveway of my house in Commack, New York. My best friend Aiden sat next to me, bent over in hysterics.

"Alright, Ally," his dad said from the driver's seat, "it was good to see you again."

"Thanks for driving me, Mr. Brookes," I smiled. "Again."

I unbuckled my seatbelt and opened the door, and Mr. Brookes smiled at me through the rearview mirror.

"It's not a problem. Soon, you two will be driving yourselves."

"We only have our learner's permits, Dad," Aiden said, unbuckling his own seatbelt. "We have a year until we get our real licenses."

"A year goes by faster than you think."

"I sure hope so," I grinned.

Aiden and I smiled at each other, and I hopped out of the car. Aiden did the same.

"What are you doing?" I asked across the car.

"Being a gentleman and walking you to the door."

He smiled at me as we shut our doors and walked up the driveway to my front door. We turned to face each other, and he smiled. The ends of his deep brown hair moved with the rustling wind, and his blue eyes glistened in the sun. He was perfect, so perfect. I could never tell him that, though. So, I just smiled back, and reached for my key in my back pocket.

"That was one of the better movies we've seen," he said as I placed the key into the lock.

"Yeah, it was. But, it was no Avatar."

"Oh, yeah; Avatar's still the best."

I turned the key and pushed the door open.

"So, see you next Saturday?" I asked.

"Every Saturday until summer is over."

We smiled once more before hugging goodbye. Then, he turned and went back to the car. I waved as they reversed and drove away, and once they were around the corner, I went inside the house.

Most of the windows in our one story home were open, letting the warm outside air fill the familiar space.

"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" I called out, seeing that they weren't in the den.

"We're in here!"

Mom's voice bounced off the walls from the back of the house, and I followed the sound until I entered our new living room, built only a few months before. Mom and Dad were sitting next to each other on the brown fabric couch, the television on and, across the room, a fire was crackling in the fireplace.

Mom had light brown hair like me, but hers was longer, reaching down to her shoulder blades. She was a beautiful woman with a gorgeous figure and beautiful smile. I always wanted her eyes which were a vibrant green, but I was stuck with brown. I guess it doesn't really matter.

My dad looks nothing like me, but maybe that's because we're not actually related. The man I call Dad is, in reality, my stepdad. He married my mom when I was two, and was the only dad I had known. He had dark brown hair and blue eyes; he was skinny for a guy, but was still a man's man (although, I've never heard him shout louder than when we saw The Lion King on Broadway).

"You have a fire burning?" I said as I sat down in the recliner next to the couch. "It's June."

"I've never had a fireplace before, let alone one this beautiful," Mom said, extending her hand toward the flames. "How could we not use it?"

"It's a hundred degrees out!"

"Oh, you know your mom," Dad jumped in. "She's always cold."

We all laughed.

"Fine, fine," I said, placing my hands up in surrender. "But, when we're all suffering from heat stroke, it won't be my fault."

"So, how was the movie?" Dad put his arm around Mom's shoulders as he changed the subject.

"Good. Didn't beat Avatar, though."

He chuckled. "Avatar's a tough one to beat."

"Did Aiden like it?" Mom asked, giving me an expectant look.

"Yeah, he did...and I didn't tell him."

"Ally!"

Both Mom and Dad shouted at me as my eyes fell to the carpet.

"This is the third time you told us you were going to tell him," Mom said, leaning forward. "What happened this time?"

"I just...I can't tell him! What if it changes things?"

"Ally, he's been your best friend since you were six years old," Dad said. "You have to trust that he'll think of you the same way he does now. The fact that you're a mutant changes nothing."

"It could change everything! His dad is a huge anti-mutant supporter; he gives money to underground organizations and everything! If he found out I was a mutant, he would never let Aiden hang out with me again. Plus, what if Aiden feels the same way his dad does? What if he hates mutants too?"

I fell back into the chair, my face covered by my hands. Then, my cell phone began to ring.

"Oh, what?" I moaned as I dug in my pocket for my phone. My shoulders fell when I read the caller ID.

"Who is it?" Mom asked when she saw my reaction.

"Professor X."

I hit the answer button.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Allison." An elegant, English voice greeted me from the other line. "I'm terribly sorry to bother you at home, and during summer break no less, but I'm afraid we need your help."

"What's going on?"

"A situation has sparked in Manhattan. Scott and the rest of the team are already on their way in one of the X-Jets. I hope this isn't too inconvenient."

I sighed. "No, no, it's fine. I'll get changed and fly over."

"Thank you."

"No problem."

WIth that, I hung up the phone and placed it on the chair next to me.

"What was that about?" Dad asked, although I'm sure he already knew.

"Something's going on in the city. The X-Men have been called in."

"Ally-"

"Dad, I have to go. It's my responsibility."

"I know you made a commitment to the X-Men, but you could get hurt."

"It's not likely. We're a good team, and we work well together. Besides, I have these powers- I should use them for something good, right?"

Dad sighed, knowing he wasn't getting me out of this.

"I'll come home as soon as everything's over, and I promise there won't be a scratch on me."


	3. You're Tony Stark

"Thank you was kind of what I was hoping for, but I guess I'll survive. The cut on your arm wasn't too bad; there was no need for stitches or anything like that. But, your shoulder was dislocated, so I popped that back into place for you. No muss, no fuss."

I shook my head as if I expected his figure to dissipate; it would have been more logical for me to be hallucinating than to be where I was. My brow remained furrowed and a deep wrinkle formed at the top of my nose.

"You're Tony Stark."

"Yep, that's me." He smiled widely and walked into the room, taking a stance at the end of the bed.

"How did I end up in your apartment?"

"Not my apartment, my tower. You got injured last night, so I brought you back here so you could get better. We were fighting together; you remember, right?"

He was rocking back and forth on his heels like a child, pushing himself off of the edge of the bed frame with the pads of his fingers.

"We were fighting together?"

His smile dropped. "You remember…don't you?"

"I don't remember us fighting, but I do recall you showboating. Didn't you say something about how 'you never know when there's someone video taping you?'"

He stopped rocking and gave me a snide look, tilting his head slightly.

"You know what I remember?" He pointed to himself, his finger tapping the glowing ring in his chest. "I remember me taking down that HYDRA robot that your team, of- what, seven people- couldn't seem to handle."

"We were trying to lure it toward the river so there'd be less collateral damage such as the entire block it took out when you saved the day."

If my arms weren't so sore, I would've put air quotes around the last part of my sentence, so instead, the attitude inflected in my voice did the job for me.

"Yeah, well, HYDRA's out of the city, right? Besides, that's not the point I'm trying to reach. The _real_ point is that during the whole HYDRA robot in the middle of New York City thing, you got pretty banged up, I saw you on the ground and knew you were going to get crushed if someone didn't get you out of there. So, I scooped you up and brought you back here. Which, by the way, saved your parents a very large medical bill."

"Does my team even know I'm here?"

I rubbed my eyes as they began to ache. My body was still waking up, groggy from the thirteen hour nap I supposedly took (according to the wall that apparently doubled as a computer screen, it was eight o'clock Sunday morning). Once I rubbed the exhaustion out of my eyes, I managed to sit myself up, leaning my back against the head board of the bed.

"The X-Men? Yeah, I let them know when we got here. Oh, and cute name by the way."

"They've known since last night and they haven't come to get me yet?"

"Why would they rush? They know you're safe here. Besides, nobody was going to take the chance of moving you until you woke up."

"So, no one had the thought to take me to an actual hospital with actual doctors?"

"Hey, I popped that shoulder in masterfully."

I sighed. "Fine, but if I suddenly can't move my arm or something, I'm coming after you."

"How are you going to do that when you can't move your arm?"

He smiled again, sticking his tongue out in amusement at his own retort.

I rolled my eyes. "Haha. Really funny."

"I thought so. What did you think, JARVIS?"

"You've come up with better, Sir."

A suave, English voice came through speakers laced in the ceiling.

"See?" I smiled. "Even your own computer agrees with me."

"Whatever." His eyes glanced up. "Suck up."

I couldn't help but chuckle as I pushed the blanket off of me. My bare legs, slight bruises running down them, were much warmer than the rest of my body from being buried under the heavy blankets, so the cool air being blown by the fan felt nice against my skin. I pulled the long t-shirt as far down as it could go- which ended up being at my knees- and turned myself on the bed. Leaving the support of the head rest, I let my legs go over the side of the mattress, my toes dangling just above the black, stone floor.

"I guess I should probably call my parents, right?"I placed my feet on the floor and winced as I tried to put some pressure on them; apparently, my arms weren't the only limbs that were sore. Tony remained at the end of the bed, just watching. "I'm assuming they know where I am by now."

"Yeah, your team leader called them. What's his name again?"

"Scott."

"Scott, right. He's the weird one that always wears those ruby sunglasses."

"Believe me, you don't want to be around the day he takes those ruby sunglasses off."

"Well, anyway, he already called your parents...and your mom kind of freaked."

"Why? Because I got hurt?"

"No. Well, yes, but that's only part of it. She wasn't too happy when she found out you were in my care."

"Really?"

"Yeah, she said I didn't know you and you didn't know me, and I'm a stranger and blah, blah, blah."

"So let me guess- she's on her way here right now."

"She probably would like to be, but no."

"No?"

"The roads are kind of blocked by a few demolished office buildings."

"Are you serious?"

"You say nothing."

I scoffed, finding the irony kind of hilarious.

"So, what, I'm here until tonight?"

"Well, if by tonight you mean the weekend…"

"The weekend? Mr. Stark!"

"God, five minutes and you already sound like every other female I've ever met- annoyed."

"If you annoy everyone you meet, maybe you should work on fixing that."

"And take the fun out of everything? Come on. And call me Tony."

Before I could respond with another quick-witted jab, my stomach grumbled loudly, the sound filling the bedroom.

"Hungry?"


	4. Paradise

AN: Hey everyone! Thanks for checking out The Father I Never Wanted! Please review; I'm always looking to improve! Thanks and enjoy!

With a supporting hand from Tony, I managed to walk the fairly long distance from the guest room to the high-tech, spacious kitchen. Metallic appliances lined the wall, dark wooden cabinets and a black stone countertop mixed in between them.

"So," Tony said as he helped me onto a barstool, "what do you like? Eggs? Pancakes? French toast- what?"

He went behind the counter and leaned over across from me, resting on his elbows.

"Eggs are fine."

"Great. Pepper!"

The soft taps of bare feet walking on the tile floor echoed out of the hallway we had just come from before Pepper Potts emerged wearing a cute t-shirt and Bermuda shorts, her hair tied back in a loose ponytail.

"Yes, Tony?" she asked, coming over to him, their hips knocking together.

"Will you make some eggs for our lovely guest?"

"You don't have to do that!" I interjected before she could respond. "I can make myself something; I just thought it would be funny to see him cook."

She chuckled. "No, you're hurt, and I'm happy to do it. I was just going over some paperwork that, in reality, he should be going over. Anything to get me away from it would be wonderful."

She gave Tony a sly look before turning and opening the fridge.

"Besides, I can make some for-"

"Me? Aw, thanks, Pep!"

Tony put his hands over his heart, a goofy smile spread across his face.

"I was going to say myself, actually."

"Oh."

I smiled as I watched them interact with each other; it reminded me a lot of Mom and Dad. All of the magazines and paparazzi footage portrayed Tony Stark as a jerk- a pompous, arrogant guy who most couldn't be around for too long. Maybe they were wrong, or maybe he really did change a few years ago.

"So, what exactly did you mean before?"

I returned to reality from wherever I zoned out to, and Tony had turned back to me, once again leaning over the countertop.

"What do you mean?"

"When you said it would funny to see me cook."

"Oh." I chuckled, ignoring the slight twinges of pain in my chest. "I just thought it would be kind of cool if I could go back home and tell my friends that Tony Stark cooked me breakfast."

"Ah," he said, nodding. "Using my name for your own gain; I see how it is. Well, just so you know, you will never, ever see my cooking. Ever."

"Why? Never learned?"

"I prefer Stark Tower to be standing, not burnt to the ground."

"Yeah, the last time he tried to cook for everybody, we had to evacuate the whole building," Pepper added.

Tony smiled, small lines crinkling next to his eyes. "One of my greatest achievements."

We continued our light chatter as Pepper finished cooking as well as while we ate (Tony included; he kept stealing forkfuls off of Pepper's plate). When we finished, Tony offered to give me a quick tour of the main floors of the building.

"I don't think I can walk the whole thing right now," I said.

"I'm sure we have a wheelchair around here somewhere."

Within a few minutes, he had me in a wheelchair, and we went up to the next floor.

"This is where all the real action happens," he said as the elevator doors opened. "And when I say action, I mean parties."

I scoffed. "I can't even begin to imagine."

I looked over my shoulder and he was smiling as he pushed me over to the window. Outside was a balcony, the letters of his last name bolted onto the guard rail. To the right of that was a landing pad extended out into the air.

"Is that where you land as Iron Man?" I asked, leaning forward.

"Yep. I like to call it the car wash."

I smiled. "That is awesome."

I turned so I could see his face, and he was smiling too.

"You think so?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Come on, you know it's cool. You wouldn't have come here to show me otherwise."

"You've got a point."

"Sir?"

JARVIS' voice came through the ceiling, echoing throughout the floor.

"Yeah?" Tony looked up.

"You have a meeting in five minutes on Floor Three."

"Aw, crap. Forgot."

"I assumed, Sir."

"Uh…"

He spun around in his place, and then looked at me.

"Go ahead," I said, smiling. "I can figure out my way around."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I have a good sense of direction."

He looked at me for a minute longer before sighing. "Ok, I shouldn't be too long. Twenty minutes, tops."

"I'll be fine."

He smiled at me before jogging into the elevator, descending to whatever board members waited for him. I sat for another minute by myself before my curiosity got to me.

"Hey, JARVIS?"

"Yes, Ms. Bradley?"

I smiled. "What's something interesting I can do around here?"

"Would you like an ordinary person's version of interesting, or Mr. Stark's version?"

I laughed. "You're good."

"I try my best."

"I think I'll stick to the normal definition. I don't want to be caught doing anything illegal."

"There is a hot tub and pool on the next floor. I'm sure Ms. Potts could find a swim suit of your size."

"Could you ask her for me? The hot tub might help me feel less sore."

"Certainly."

I could hear his voice from the floor before me as he spoke to Pepper, and a minute later, he responded back to me.

"We do indeed have a swim suit for you. If you stay where you are, Ms. Potts will bring it up to you."

"Great. Thanks."

Another minute passed before Pepper arrived in the elevator, a swim suit in her hand.

"Here you go," she smiled.

"Thanks," I said back, taking the bikini from her. "Why do you guys have a swim suit that's this small?"

"Tony had a thing for college girls for a while."

"Oh." I held back the bile that crept up my throat. "Wonderful."

"That was a long time ago, though. Long before he became Iron Man."

"Yeah, he only kept their swim suits."

"No, I did."

"You did?"

"It's a cute bathing suit!"

I smiled, and Pepper directed me to the bathroom where I managed to get myself changed. When I was ready to move, I glanced over at the wheelchair undesirably. I knew I wouldn't be able to walk all the way to the elevator, but I didn't want to be stuck in a chair; I wasn't a cripple. Then, it hit me.

"Ally," I muttered to myself. "You can fly. Duh."

I opened the bathroom door, and placed my hands at my sides, palms facing the floor. Then, my feet rose off the ground, the air I was controlling lifting my up as if I was wearing a jet pack. With ease, I glided over to the elevator, pressed the button, and got inside, letting myself to the ground once the doors closed.

The next floor was almost completely occupied by a massive indoor pool, complete with a diving board and slide. To the right of it was a rectangular hot tub, four small spigots shooting water into it like miniature water falls.

I went straight for the hot tub, looking forward to the soothing powers of the steaming water. I turned on the jets and slowly submerged myself, sighing with relief. I closed my eyes, letting myself sink in further until only my neck and head weren't underwater. It wasn't long, however, until I was interrupted.

"You look like you're in paradise."

I sat up and turned to find Tony walking toward the hot tub, his hands in his pockets.

"It's pretty close, yeah." I turned and rested my arms on the floor, crossing them. "I figured the hot water would feel good on the wounds."

"Nothing like a hot bath," he smiled.

"Do you want to grab a bathing suit and hop in? I know you wear the suit in fights, but I'm sure you get banged up too."

"Yeah, no, I'm good." He began to rub the back of his neck, his eyes shifting toward the ground. "I, uh, I don't do water."

"Don't do water?" I gestured toward the massive pool behind him.

"Yeah, well…that's for decoration."

"A pool for decoration?"

"I can."

"You know, it would have been more believable if you said it was for the rest of the Avengers."

"Yeah…that might have worked a little better."

"So, why don't you swim?"

"Who said I ever swam?"

"I read some magazine that did a whole spread on your Malibu house last year, so I know you have a pool there too, and that was way before the Avengers."

He sighed. "If you figure it out, I'll give you twenty bucks."

"Ok, give me a second."

He laughed as I concentrated on him, looking for any sort of tell. The only thing I got was his eyes had changed: there was no spark, no shine to them anymore. They seemed glazed over, looking at me, but not necessarily seeing me.

"Ok, I've got nothing," I admitted. "But, I'll get it."

"Whatever you say."

With that, he walked over to the bar on the other side of the room (every floor seemed to have a bar), pulled a bottle of scotch from the shelf and poured himself a glass.

"You said that the hot tub is your paradise? Well, this is mine."

He smiled, raised the glass and took a large sip.


	5. Cracking the Code

The remainder of the day was spent finishing my grand tour of Stark Tower (he didn't show me his lab, however; I have to say I was disappointed). We had dinner around eight, and I crashed soon after that, sleeping in the room that I had woken up in.

Once again, I was slowly brought out of my slumber by the background noises of outside. This time, however, the room was dark, the windows tinted by JARVIS. I sat up in bed and stretched my arms, waking myself further.

"JARVIS, what time is it?" I asked to the empty room.

"It's seven thirty-two in the morning, Ms. Bradley."

"Seven thirty-two? Why the hell am I awake?"

"Mr. Stark tends to ask the same question. Daily."

I chuckled, and flopped back down onto the pillows. I turned my head to the right and glanced over at the wall. When I did, a digital clock appeared, the light blue numbers glowing in the darkness. I sat up as I became curious, and slid out of bed. The numbers rose as my eye level did, following me as I stood and walked over to the wall. I glanced over my shoulder at the open door to see if anyone was walking by before I raised my finger and tapped. A buzz echoed through the room as if I had gotten a question wrong on Family Feud, and a sketch of a hand came onto the screen.

"You must log in to access my systems," JARVIS said.

I looked over the hand print in front of me, quickly figuring out that it would scan my fingerprints, and most likely try to match them to a profile manually created by Tony. I was pretty sure that I would be rejected as soon as my hand touched the screen, but I shrugged my shoulders and tried anyway.

I was right- I wasn't let in, but instead of leaving me with nothing, a keypad now appeared.

"Please put in access code," JARVIS instructed.

"Access code?" I muttered.

I stared at the nine numbers in front of me, three small letters inscribed under each one.

"Do I get more than one try?" I asked.

"You are allowed three attempts."

"And if I don't get in on the third try?"

"The security alarm will be sounded."

"Awesome."

I continued to stare at the screen, creating several four letter combinations in my head, anything that I could think of as a viable password. When I thought I had one, I reached forward and typed IRON.

There was a small pause before the keypad blinked red, and the failed password was cleared.

"Incorrect."

I didn't hesitate to try again, quickly typing in TONY. Again, after the small pause, the keypad blinked red.

"Incorrect."

"Ok, Ally, one more."

It would have been smarter to quit, to not risk setting off the security system, but I couldn't stop myself; I was now determined to get it, to prove that I could. I took a little bit longer in between guesses this time, working through the possibilities, muttering to myself. After a minute, I had my final guess. Cautiously, I typed in PEPP. There was another short pause, and I flinched, waiting for sirens and red lights to go off. Instead, the keypad blinked green and what looked like the desktop of a computer popped onto the screen. I smiled.

"Tony Stark, a softie," I smiled. "Who would've guessed?"

I speedily located the internet browser and selected it, figuring I would check my email. But, when I clicked the bar to type in the web address, a keyboard made of strange symbols came up as opposed to an average, English one.

It took me a few minutes to figure out the code, but I soon had it down and ended up at my email, typing one to my mom.

"Good morning?"

Tony's greeting was combined with an air of confusion; both he and Pepper looked at me with furrowed brows, each of their eyes shifting from me to the computer screen.

"Uh…" I couldn't find words to explain what they had walked in on, afraid that I was going to be kicked out for infiltrating Tony's personal computer. "I'll just log off."

"No," Tony said quickly. "I mean, you don't have to. But, I just…how did you crack the symbols on the keyboard?"

"You're worried about the keyboard?" Pepper asked, giving him a confused glare. "How did she get past the security system?"

"Don't mind her; she's just mad that it took her two weeks to be able to type an email correctly." Tony smiled at me as he leaned against the doorframe. "But, I would really like to know how you got the keyboard figured out."

"The symbols are from a dead language called Cuneiform," I said. "It's the first language ever written. We learned about it in World History last year."

Tony said nothing in return, and just smiled.

**A/N: Ok, so the thing about the keyboard being in Cuneiform: I completely made that up. I have no idea what symbols they used. **


	6. Twenty Questions

Later that morning, Tony and I were sitting on the couch, eating bagels that he got from the restaurant just out the front door of the Tower.

"So," he began, his words mushed together as he chewed, "I realized something late last night."

"You want to give me my own Iron Man suit."

He laughed, his face scrunching together. "No."

"Damn."

"I realized that I don't know all that much about you."

My brow rose high onto my forehead. "That's what you were thinking about right before you fell asleep?"

"I don't know; my mind began to wander. But, it did get me curious."

"What- you think I have some skeletons in my closet? I'm only sixteen."

"I don't know."

I smiled, crossing my legs. "I'll let you ask some questions _if_ you let me ask some too."

He cocked his head and sighed. "Fine. You want to do a twenty question type deal?"

"Sure."

"Great; I'll go first."

I chuckled and took another bite of my cream cheese smeared everything bagel.

"Let's start off easy," he said. "What's your favorite band?"

"Aw, man; that's not as easy as you think."

"Take your time."  
Tony crossed his arms.

"If I had to choose one," I looked up at the ceiling as I thought, "I'd have to go with One Republic."

"I guess I can live with that answer," he said, smirking. "Not the best, but I'll take it."

"Hey, you asked."

"No, no, you're right. Ok, favorite book."

"Harry Potter."

"No doubt with that answer."

"Oh no. Nothing beats Potter. What's your favorite?"

"Nah, ah, ah; it's still my turn."

"Right. Sorry. Continue."

"I think we can go up to level two now."

"Now it's getting exciting."

He smiled, raising his eyebrows. "Boyfriend? Girlfriend?"

"Neither."

"Interested in anyone?"

"There's a guy."

"Oh, really?"

"Don't sound so surprised!"

"I'm not surprised; I'm actually surprised you don't have the fellas breaking down your door."

"Thank you, but not everyone can have the Stark charm."

He smiled again, his eyes falling to the couch.

"His name's Aiden, and I've known him since we were both six."

"You don't want to ruin the friendship by telling him you've got the hots for him?"

"No. Well, yes, but no. His dad is a huge- and very outspoken- anti-mutant supporter."

"Ah. You're afraid dear old dad won't let you two be friends anymore if you told him you were a mutant."

"That and I'm not sure whether or not he feels the same way."

"Why don't you just ask him?"

"That's what my mom's response always is."

"She has a point, then."

I cocked my head. "I want to tell him…just not now."

"No time like the present, I say."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Now, can we go to the next question, please?"

Realizing that I was getting agitated, Tony nodded and moved on to his next inquiry.

"Are you a good student?"

"A's and B's on all my report cards."

"What's the B in?"

"English. All of the teachers overanalyze everything, and it just doesn't make sense to me."

He nodded. "What about math?"

"One of my better subjects," I smiled. "I've always been good at it; that and history are my strong suits."

"Me too. And, you're in your junior year, right?"

"Yep."

"Do you have any ideas about college yet?"

"NYU is probably my first choice. But, what I want to do- I have no idea."

"Well, like you said, you're only sixteen. You have time to figure that out."

"Less time than I'd like, though."

He smiled. "Welcome to life. Now, what else can I ask?"

"Well, you've got ten more to go."

"Are your parents divorced or married?"

I cocked an eyebrow.

"What?" he said. "It's a valid question; fifty percent of American marriages end in divorce nowadays."

"Well, I guess I'm lucky then, because my parents are happily married."

"Yeah? How long?"

"Fourteen years," I smiled, sitting up a little straighter.

"Fourteen?"

"Yeah. My dad's technically my stepdad, but I call him Dad because he's the only dad I've known…it's not as complicated as it sounds, I swear."

He smiled, but he wouldn't look straight at me.

"What's his name?"

"Andrew Shepherd."

"Shepherd? I thought your last name was Bradley."

"Bradley's my mom's maiden name."

He nodded in understanding. "Right. So, is he a cool dude? You know…do you like him?"

I scoffed, my brow furrowing. "Do I like him? What kind of question is that?"

"Again, valid."

"Of course I like him; he's my dad! I love him!"

"Good." He shifted in his seat, staring down at his hands. "That's…great, good."

I sat forward, sensing tension entering the room. "Tony, what is with you? Why do you care so much about…"

Tony finally looked at me, his eyes large and wet. The smile on his face was small, full of guilt and pride and regret all at the same time.

"…my dad."


	7. The Mystery's Solved

"Ally, let me explain-"

"Is this a joke? Is this a trick? Are you trying to pull the ultimate prank because- I'll give it to you- this would take the cake."

"Why would I joke about this?"

Tony leaned forward, his arms resting on his legs, his fingers crossed.

"I don't know. But this- this is ridiculous."

I stood from the couch, and ran my fingers through my hair, my stress level climbing.

"That's why JARVIS didn't deploy the security protocol when you tried to access the computer," he said.

My brow furrowed and he went on to explain.

"The palm scan doesn't just read your fingerprints, it reads your DNA. JARVIS recognized sequences of my DNA in yours."

There was silence for a moment as my brain raced to comprehend what I had figured out and the further information Tony had told me. I turned my back to him, my breath caught in my throat.

"Ally?"

"How long have you known?" I managed.

"A few weeks."

"A few weeks?"

I spun back around, rage laced through my voice, my eyes wide.

"Did you just forget that you were told sixteen years ago that you were going to have a kid?"

"I knew there was a possibility I had a kid out there, but I didn't know for sure."

"A possibility? What, were you banking on a miscarriage?"

"She could've had an abortion; I didn't know what she ended up doing."

"Come on, Tony. You dated my mom for eight months before she found out she was pregnant; you damn well knew she wasn't getting an abortion!"

"How do you know how long we dated for?" he asked, sitting up.

"I asked. I didn't want to know much, but I was curious as to just how big of an asshole my biological dad was."

Now, Tony remained silent for a moment. Before he could think of anything to say, I began to laugh.

"Are you…are you laughing?" he asked, his brow furrowing.

"Do you know how much worse this makes everything?"

"Worse? How does this make things worse? I'm your biological dad; the mystery's solved."

"You're Tony Stark. _The_ Tony Stark. You've got to be- what- forty-six, forty-seven years old now, so that would've made you around thirty when you were dating my mom."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"You were running Stark Industries by that point, right?"

"I don't get-"

"Just answer me!"

Tony swallowed the rest of his sentence. "Yeah. I was."

"That means you were a multimillionaire by that point, if not a billionaire."

"Where are you going with this?"

"My mom worked three jobs while she was pregnant. Three. She worked her ass off until the day her water broke, so she would have enough money saved up to support the two of us."

"Well…she got maternity leave, right?"

"Yeah. Three weeks, and then she had to go back. I spent the first two years of my life with my grandparents because she was worried that she wasn't going to be able to pay the mortgage! Do you see where I'm going with this?"

Tony said nothing.

"She had to sacrifice her first two years with me while my dear old dad was a freaking billionaire who ran because he was too afraid of the responsibilities of being a father!"

"Listen," Tony stood, "I know what I did was horrible and stupid, but I was a kid back then! And I had my reasons."

"And that makes it all ok?"

"No! As soon as I figured out who you were, I started to look for you. I wanted to make amends."

"So, did you plan the whole "HYDRA attack" yourself? Hurt me on purpose so you could play your knight in shining armor game? Oh, and I bet you knocked those buildings down on purpose, too! Tip the bot in just the right direction and I get a weekend with the daughter that doesn't know she's my daughter!"

"No! I was going to come talk at your school, and tell you then…I don't know, I hadn't worked it all out."

"So, how did you find me? Did you finally grow a pair and contact my mom after all of these years?"

"It was an accident- finding you. I was cruising around SHEILD's new files and saw that they added someone into the Watch with Caution database. I clicked on the new file and it was yours."

"So, what? You recognized my mom's last name?"

"It was your photo, actually."

"My photo?"

"You're the spitting image of my mother. The last name kicked in later, but when I saw your face, there was no denying it. Fury did a DNA test for me to be sure."

"How? You would need my DNA."

"There's a blood sample on your file."

"And you did this without me knowing?"

"He owed me a favor."

I didn't know what to say, and turned my back again only to flip around a few seconds later.

"Oh!" I said as I came to a revelation. "So, that's what this is?"

"What?"

"It's a guilt thing."

"A guilt thing?"

"You saw my picture, couldn't deny the fact that I'm the spitting image of _your _mother, and your lovely conscience couldn't let you just walk away, especially with your new "I'm a good man" persona. And then, to make it even worse, you didn't just find my file on SHEILD's database; you found it on a restricted one: Watch with Caution. You probably thought 'Oh my God! Maybe it's daddy issues! I left like a douchebag, and now she's a troubled teenager!" But, I'll ease your guilt now- it's not about you."

"What was it, then?"

"I came home from school one day to find two robbers in my house: one was throwing anything he could find into a bag while the other had my dad at gun point. Long story short- I blew the entire back of my house off."

"You what?"

"SHEILD got in touch with us then; they said they would pay for the reconstruction if we would allow them to keep a watchful eye on me. Where do you think the new den came from?"

Tony paused before speaking. "You blew the back of your house off?"

"That's not the point!"

"Sorry, but that takes a lot of power…blowing the back of a house off."

"The point _is_ that I'm not all angsty and messed up because of you. I have a mom and dad who love me. I don't need you."

"I'm not trying to replace your dad, and I never said you needed me."

"Then what was the point of telling me?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but he said nothing. There was a long pause before he finally muttered a response.

"I wanted to tell you I was sorry."

I scoffed. "I don't want your apology, Mr. Stark."

"Mr. Stark?"

"I don't want to see you again," I went on, ignoring him. "Ever. Just forget any of this happened, and we can just go back to our lives as they were."

"What, you're just going to ignore me for the next twenty-four hours?"

I crossed my arms. "No. I'm going to leave."

"Leave? The roads are all blocked."

"I can control air. I'll fly."

"Ally, that's not a good-"

"Don't!" I cut him off. "Just don't."

Before he could say anything else, I stormed down the hall, collected my X-Men uniform from my room and went upstairs on the elevator. I went across the room, pushed open the glass door to the outside and walked onto Tony's launch pad. I looked down at the city below me, stretching out my arms. I ignored the pain still coming from my shoulder and took off, turning toward home, tears beginning to stream down my cheeks.


	8. Nothing's Changed

By the time I began to descend, my neighborhood below me, my shoulder was screaming and my bottom lip was swollen from my teeth plunging into it, trying to hold back tears. I could see Mom down below, sitting in front of the flower bed on the front lawn. I thought I would smile when I saw her, but the sight only made the urge to cry even greater.

"Mom!" I shouted once I was within earshot, the ground only a few feet below me.

Mom looked up at the sound of my voice, scanning the sky. When she finally saw me, she didn't try to hide her shock.

"Ally?" She stood. "What are you-"

I landed before she finished her thought, and ran up to her, throwing myself into her arms. A few tears had escaped, falling down my cheeks.

"Ally," she wrapped her arms tightly around me, "what happened to you?"

I took a second to respond, trying to catch my breath and not cry. "My shoulder…my shoulder really hurts."

"Come on, let's get you inside."

She smiled softly, and helped me onto the couch before going into the kitchen to grab an ice pack from the freezer.

"Why did you leave?" she asked as she walked back into the room. "We were coming to get you first thing tomorrow morning."

"I couldn't…" I swallowed the lump that was caught in my throat down, "I couldn't stay there anymore."

She sat down, and gently placed the ice pack on my shoulder. I winced at the cold, and shifted my position so the ice would sit on my shoulder without me having to hold it.

"What do you mean?" Mom asked.

"He told me," I said, my eyes staring my hands; I couldn't get myself to look up. "I know he's my father."

"He told you?"

"About twenty minutes ago." I finally looked up at her.

Mom sighed. "I told him to wait until I got there, and- if he really wanted to tell you- we would tell you together. Of course, he didn't listen. I'm so sorry you had to find out this way."

"I'm sorry you're forever linked to an asshole like him because I share his blood."

She chuckled. "He wasn't that big of an asshole back then…or, at least, he hid it well."

"Does Dad know?"

She nodded. "I told him just before we got married."

I nodded as well. "What was his reaction?"

"He just nodded his head. It didn't really matter to him who gave you life, he knew he was your dad."

I smiled, my eyes falling back to my hands.

"Do you want to talk about all of this?" she asked. "I know it's a lot to take in."

I scoffed. "And the award for Understatement of the Year goes to…"

She laughed.

"No," I said, getting serious. "I don't want to talk. But, I do have one question."

"What?"

"You told me that you didn't realize my biological father had left until the day after you told him you were pregnant."

"Yeah."

"But, he didn't leave a note or anything. How did you figure it out?"

"I didn't- not on my own, anyway. When I woke up that morning, he was already gone. I assumed he went to work. When he didn't make it home for dinner, I began to worry. I called his office, his assistant, his apartment and got no answer. I decided that if I didn't hear from him by the next morning, I was going to report him missing. Then, around eleven-thirty that night, the phone rings."

"Was it Tony?"

"No, it was a journalist. He had gotten the house number somehow, and went on to ask me what happened between Tony and I; why did we break up? I asked him what the hell he was talking about." She smiled softly. "I can't imagine how he felt when he realized that I had no idea what he was talking about.

"He went on to tell me that Tony was spotted at a party with another woman, one a few years younger than me too. I took that as his way of telling me that we were over."

All I could do was stare at my mom, completely shocked and appalled by the story.

"Wow," I managed. "I'm so sorry."

She smiled at me, pushing a strand of my hair behind my ear. "It's not your fault."

"I feel like it is."

"Why?"

I shook my head. "I don't know."

"Well, here's my question for you. Do you want to see him again?"

"Oh God, no."

"Then, why worry about it? You have my, you have your dad; nothing's changed except now there is a name connected to the title biological father. That's it."

I nodded and smiled at her. "Yeah, you're right."

"When am I not?"

I laughed as she put her arm around me. She was right, and I sighed a great sigh of relief. I would never have to see Tony Stark again.


	9. There's Been An Accident

Two months passed, and I hadn't seen or heard anything from Tony. We went back to our lives as if I had never gotten injured, as if I was never brought to Stark Tower, as if he had never told me he was my father; we continued on in our ignorant bliss, and that was fine by me.

I was standing behind the counter of the Moonrise Diner where I had worked for the last two years. An older man was telling me about his newest granddaughter when I heard the chime bells above the door ring, signaling someone new had come in. Being the hostess, I excused myself and walked to the front door, discovering two police officers waiting.

"Hi, guys," I smiled. "Is it just the two of you?"

"We're not eating," said one of the officers. "We're looking for an Allison Bradley."

My stomach dropped and my fists clenched. What did they want with me?

"I'm Allison Bradley," I said cautiously.

"Can you step outside with us?" The other officer turned toward the door, extending his hand forward.

My brow furrowed, but I followed his instructions. My mind was racing, trying to come up with viable reasons as to why the cops wanted to talk to me. I had heard something in the news about a mutant registration act, but I thought that was never passed…

"What's going on?" I asked once we were outside.

The two policemen stood in front of me. Their hands were folded and neither of them would look me in the eye. One cleared his throat before finally speaking.

"Ms. Bradley, there's been an accident."

My breath caught in my throat. Who was it? Mom? Dad? Grandma? Grandpa? Who?

"Your parents were involved in a car crash-"

"Are they in the hospital?"

He looked down again and then back at me. "We'd like you to come with us to the station so we can explain everything-"

"Just explain now. Please."

The two looked at each other, contemplating whether they could tell me or not. One idea had popped into my mind, but I shooed it away instantly; the idea was too painful. Then, their eyes came back up from the pavement. He spoke again.

"I'm afraid they didn't make it."


	10. They're Dead

It was a five car pile up, they told me. A car two ahead of my parents stopped short, the one in front of them crashed and then a domino effect ensued. Their car was in the middle, crushed from both sides. There was no way for them to make it out alive. They died on impact. They were on their way to pick me up from work; my shift was ending in a half-hour, and they would always come and have lunch at the counter so we could talk. They were coming to get me. It was because of me they were dead. They're dead.

The two cops watched as I turned into a puddle in front of them, fallen to my knees, bawling like I had never bawled before. One of them picked me up and placed me in their police cruiser, driving me to the local police station. Once there, they brought me into a private room, draping me with a blanket. It's for shock, they said. Shock didn't even begin to cover it.

Within twenty minutes, my grandmother was there. Her makeup was smudged and her hands were shaking, but she comforted me with a strong hug, telling me all was going to be ok. I told her that was complete bullshit. She said I was right. They gave us a few minutes to ourselves before an official from Child Protective Services came into the room, saying they had to ask me some questions. I asked them what was going to happen to me. Was I going to a foster home? What happens to my house? How did this happen? The woman, who was very kind and completely understanding, told me I was going to stay with my grandmother for the night, and then the permanent arrangements would be dealt with the next day when their wills were to be read out. I never knew my parents had wills.

So, I spent the night at my grandma's house. I didn't get much sleep though. Most of the night was spent crying, silently yelling at whatever higher power for letting this happen. The next morning, Grandma, Grandpa and I went back to the police station to hear what was going to happen to me; I wasn't too anxious, though. I was pretty confident I would be put into my grandmother's custody, and I would live with them.

"Now, in regards to Allison," said the woman handling all of the arrangements, "she will be placed into the custody Tony Stark."

I stood from my chair. "I'm sorry, but I could've sworn you just said you were placing me into Tony Stark's custody."


	11. What Did You Do?

"Look, there has to be a mistake!" I walked up to desk the woman was sitting at, my fists clenched at my sides. My grandparents remained in their seats, shocked by the announcement. "There is no way that Tony Stark is named my legal guardian in my mom's will! There's just no way."

"I just read what they tell me to read," she said.

"Let me see the will; I'll show you."

"I'm sorry, but the will is a private legal document."

"Yeah, one that decides the rest of my life."

"Ms. Bradley," she stood, placing the papers in a folder, "I'm sorry if you're unhappy with the ruling, but it is what it is."

With a small smile, the woman left, leaving my grandparents and me alone. I turned to my Grandma, my face flush in anger.

"This is ridiculous," I said, throwing my hands in the air. "There is no way she would put him over you."

"I know," she walked forward, taking my hand in hers. "But, I'm sure everything will be fine."

My brow furrowed. "Aren't you mad?"

"This isn't like a court case; we can't appeal, we can't fight it."

"Still!"

"Ally, Stark Tower is in Manhattan, right?"

"So?"

"So, you'll only be an hour away. Besides, you'll be safe, taken care of; there are worse places."

"Grandma, there's not a paternal bone in the man's body. How is he supposed to take care of me?"

"I don't think you really need that much taking care of anymore."

I shook my head, still incredibly confused. "Why aren't you mad? Why don't you hate him?"

"I might be one of the few in the world that don't, but I have a very good reason."

"Please, enlighten me."

"He gave me you."

My breath caught. "What?"

"The fact that he left you and your mother is horrible, absolutely horrible. But, because he left, your mom met my son, they got married and I got the granddaughter that I never thought I would get. So, in all honesty, I'm quite pleased with his life choices."

I smiled and chuckled in disbelief. "You are a horrible person."

She smiled as well. "Yeah, well, I'm a horrible person that loves you. And, if he really is that bad, you can sleep over at my house as many nights as you want."

"Right." My grandfather finally stood from his seat; I was surprised he said anything at all (my dad meant the world to him, and the fact that he was gone had left my grandfather incapacitated).

Two knocks from outside interrupted us, and the woman from Child Protective Services peeked her head in the door.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said, "But Mr. Stark is here."

"Do I have to leave with him now?"

"He has to sign some paperwork, but after that, yes; you'll go home with him."

"What about all of my stuff?"

"The two of you will go to your parents' house, and pack up what you want."

"What about the rest of it?"

"It'll be packed up and placed in a storage unit. When you turn eighteen, you can do what you want with it."

I nodded, taking a deep breath; my mind had begun to compile a list of things I wanted to bring with me to Stark Tower.

"Allison?"

"Hmm?" I stopped making my list.

"I need you to come with me."

"Oh. Right."

I looked over at my grandparents, who each gave me an encouraging smile, before I left with the woman. She escorted me to another room, this one only occupied by a couch and coffee table.

"Mr. Stark will be here in just a minute," she smiled.

"Thanks," I said, not trying to hide my sarcastic tone.

With an amused laugh, she closed the door, leaving me alone. I immediately began to pace, irritation and frustration slowly returning to my system. Just the knowledge that I would have to see his face in the next few minutes irked me. Then, after ten minutes of pacing back and forth, back and forth, there were four light taps on the door before it swung open. Tony came into the room, a smile spread across his face. He was smiling. That jerk. As soon as he closed the door, I crossed the room in a few steps.

"What did you do?" I asked, my shoulders tense.

"Nice to see you too," Tony said.

"What did you do to get custody? I know for a fact that my mom would not, under any circumstances, put you in her will as my legal guardian. So, tell me: what did you do?"

"Listen, we'll talk in the car."

He placed his hand on my shoulder, but I shrugged it off, taking a step back.

"Was it illegal?"

Tony's smile fell, but he said nothing.

"Well, of course it was illegal, it's ignoring a legal document, as well as my mom's wishes. But, go on, Tony, just tell me."

Again, nothing.

"How much was I worth?"

"Alright, that's enough. Come on."

"It's the only thing I can think of other than sleeping with the lawyer, but I'm pretty sure you're in a relationship with Pepper that you don't want to screw up."

He scoffed. "You think you're so clever, don't you?"

"That's part of being a Stark, right? Guess I'm ahead of the game."

Tony folded his arms across his chest and sighed. "Listen, I want to make things right. I want to be here for you. So, I'd appreciate it if you gave me a chance."

"I would've appreciated it if you didn't leave my mother before I was born, but I guess we can't always get what we want."

Tony's face fell, obviously not expecting my response.

"Tony, I'm going to be really honest," I said, "My parents died yesterday. My life seems to be falling to pieces." I took a pause, my throat becoming thick. "And, apparently, I become a total bitch when I'm upset. So, you saying you're sorry isn't going to make everything better."

He nodded. "I know."

I didn't say anything else, and he opened the door. My eyes toward the ground and my arms folded, I walked out of the room, Tony following behind me.


	12. Turning the Corner

From the police station, Tony drove us to my house; his ostentatious Audi convertible clashed horribly with the homely, average middle class neighborhood. I was out of the car before he shut the engine off, and proceeded to the front door. I reached into my pocket, took my key out, and unlocked the door, pushing it open and setting the alarm off. I quickly punched in the code, and the house went silent.

It was strange, walking into my house knowing that it would be the last time (most likely, anyway). Nothing had changed. Everything was exactly how it was the day of the accident- my dad's jacket was still thrown over the arm of the couch, my bed was still unmade, there was still half a pot of coffee sitting, now ice cold.

I hadn't moved from just in front of the door, not sure exactly where to go. _Pack up what you want. The rest will be packed up and placed in a storage unit. _Pack up what I want? I want it all! I want it all to stay here, where it belongs- in my house with me and my parents! I don't want to do this, because it doesn't belong where I'm going. It'll be out of place in the modern, cold atmosphere Stark Tower emanates. My house was warm, welcoming, loving. You walked inside and warmth filled your chest. You walked into Stark Tower and you were immediately intimidated, not welcomed or wanted. I took a deep breath, trying to avoid crying.

My internal monologue was interrupted as the door opened behind me, Tony stepping inside. His eyes scanned the small area in between the living room and the front door, and he nodded a small nod of approval. I rolled my eyes.

"So, I brought a bunch of boxes," he said, gesturing to the broken down boxes tucked under his arm. "Where do you want to start?"

I sighed. _I want you to go the hell away, and leave me alone_.

"I guess my bedroom would be the best place," I said, leaving my honest response lingering on the tip of my tongue.

He followed me down the narrow hallway, to the right and up two small steps to where my bedroom was, the door half open. I pushed it open the rest of the way, revealing my room to us. The walls were painted a soft red, and white shelves were nailed into them, displaying trophies from little league I had won several years before. The bed spread was white too, spirals of red weaving throughout it. A door in the far left corner led to my closet, and my desk was to the left of that, books and loose papers stacked on top.

With another sigh, I stepped inside and began to make a pile on my bed of the things I wanted. Stuffed animals won for me by my dad at the carnival, books for school, all of my clothes and pictures from the top of my dresser of my parents and I all made it into boxes.

Tony stood in the corner, watching me circle around and gather what I wanted. At my request, he would construct a new box and help me pack it, but he didn't say much. He would glance at me every few minutes or so, checking to see if I had broken down yet, but that was it. And I really appreciated it.

Once done with my room, we moved to the den, then the living room, and finally the kitchen, picking up small things as we went. Silently, I helped Tony bring the boxes to the car, placing them strategically so they would all fit in the fairly small trunk of his Audi.

As he got into the car, I went back to the front door, key in my hand. I stood there for a minute, not sure whether to cry or scream. It ended up that I did neither- I locked the door straight-faced, and returned to the car. It wasn't until we turned the corner that I wiped a tear off my cheek.

X.X.X

By seven-thirty that night, I had finished unpacking most of my things. The guest room I had slept in two months before had been officially designated as my permanent bedroom, and I was quick to make it look so: The golden blanket was now replaced with my own, my clothes had been stuffed in the dresser drawers, and the night stand was now the home of several pictures of my parents.

I sighed as I looked around, content with the progress I had made. Then, a quiet ding came from the ceiling.

"Ms. Bradley, dinner is ready," JARVIS informed me.

"Can you tell them I'm not hungry?"

"Certainly."

A moment passed, and I sat down on my bed, waiting for a response.

"What do you mean you're not hungry?"

There it was. Tony's face popped up on the wall/computer screen, his brow furrowed low on his face.

"I mean I'm not hungry," I replied snidely. "Now, will you leave me alone?"

"Come on, we made your favorite. And, when I say we, I mean Pepper."

"How would you know what my favorite is?"

"Ally, I'm a genius."

"Yeah, not telepathic."

"Then, why do I have a steaming hot bowl of Kraft Mac N' Cheese with hamburger meat mixed in it with your name on it?"

My scowl dropped. "How did you know that?"

"I told you- I'm a genius."

I cocked my head.

"Fine," he admitted. "You're grandmother might have told me."

I sighed, smiling slightly at the mention of Grandma.

"Fine. Be there in a sec."

"Ha! I knew you couldn't resist-"

I reached over and tapped the end button on the wall, cutting Tony off. The interface faded, and I stood. Before leaving, I took my phone from my back pocket and threw it on the bed. The screen lit up on impact, revealing a multitude of text and missed call alerts.

Almost everyone on my contact list had either called or texted me, trying to convey their condolences, but I only responded to Aiden, my grandparents, and a few other close friends. I guess I didn't want to keep saying I was ok over and over because- in all honesty- I wasn't sure if I was.

When I reached the dining room, Tony was already sitting at the head of the long table, chugging down a glass of amber colored liquor. Pepper was next to him, and a spot for me was set up across from her. I sat with a small smile toward Pepper before she held out her hands- one to Tony and one across to me. My brow furrowed and Pepper responded promptly.

"Grace," she explained.

My eyebrows popped up. "Oh. I didn't think you guys were all that religious."

"I'm not," Tony jumped in. "But Pepper insists we do this whenever we sit down together."

He held his hand out to me, and I eyed it cautiously before reaching out and placing mine in his large palm. I took Pepper's hand as well; she smiled sweetly and recited the prayer. After a group "Amen," we began to eat.

Tony and Pepper started to chat casually, but I left myself out of the conversation. However, Tony wasn't going to let it stay that way throughout the whole meal.

"So," he said, turning to me, "how many more weeks do you have until you're back at school?"

"Three weeks," I said shortly, not looking up from my bowl. _Three weeks, and I'm back at school until December. God, these three weeks need to hurry up_.

"Great," he smiled. "I should be done with all of the modifications to the suit by then. If you want, I could show it to you."

"I guess." I couldn't just blatantly refuse an open invitation to get up close to an Iron Man suit. I mean, no matter how much hatred I had toward Tony, it didn't change the fact that his suits were cool.

He smiled again at my answer, half heartedly this time. For the rest of the meal, Tony continued to try and get me to open up, to even look up at him. But, I kept my eyes intently focused on my mac-n'-cheese for the duration. Finally, he left when he finished his portion, and announced that he was going to be down in the lab.

"If you need anything, just come on down," he said. "I set up a profile for you in JARVIS' security program, so it'll let you in without a problem."

I glanced up to acknowledge that I heard him, and then he walked away. Once he was gone, I felt my shoulders relax, pent up tension releasing from my body.

"He really is trying, you know."

I looked up at the sound of Pepper's voice, almost forgetting that she was still there.

"He doesn't have to. I'm a big girl; I can take care of myself."

"But, he wants to."

I scoffed. "A little too late for that, don't you think?"

She sighed. "Well, whether you like it or not, he's going to keep at it. He's not one to give up."

"We'll see."

She smiled and shook her head.

"What?" I questioned.

"Nothing."

"Really, what?"

"It's just…you sound like him."

My curious smile faded. "Oh."

Pepper stood, picking up her plate.

"Hey, Pepper?" I said.

"Yeah?"

"Do you guys usually do this?" I gestured to the table.

"What? Eat together?"

I nodded.

"Not really, no. I'm usually lucky to get him to eat dinner at all; he keeps himself locked away in his lab most of the time."

I nodded again, this time in understanding. "Well, it was good – the food, I mean. Thanks for cooking."

She smiled softly. "You're welcome."

With a final smile, Pepper left the room, leaving me to my thoughts.


	13. Car Pool

The following Saturday, Aiden called me, asking if I was still up for our movie day.

"Yeah, of course I am," I said, smiling over the phone.

"I just wanted to make sure," he responded, worry laced through his voice. "I didn't know if you wanted some time to yourself or not."

"To be honest, that's the last thing I want right now. Going to the movies with you feels normal, you know? It lets me believe for a few hours that everything's fine."

There was a moment before he replied. "Well, I'm glad I can help. Meet you for dinner at six?"

"You got it. I'll have Tony drop me off."

"What, you don't want me to meet him?"

_Not really, no. _"I mean, if you want to." I kept my true thoughts hidden. "But, I'm telling you I'll be really upset if you start liking him more than you like me."

He laughed. "I promise I won't."

"Good. I'll see you at six."

"Bye, Ally."

I dropped my cell phone on the bed and stood, going to find Tony. I walked down the hall and into the kitchen to find no one was there. Not wanting to wander all forty-something floors of the building, I called to JARVIS for help.

"Hey, JARVIS?" I called, lifting my chin toward the ceiling.

"Yes, Ms. Bradley?"

The sound of the AI's soft, English voice never ceased to make me smile. "Can you tell me where Tony is?"

"Your father is in his workshop down in the first basement?"

I cringed slightly at his choice of identifier. "First basement? How many are there?"

"Seven."

My jaw slacked slightly. Who needs seven basements? "Ok, then. Thanks."

I went over to the elevator, finding a button labeled "FB" toward the bottom of the many rows. I pressed it, and it turned red before the doors closed, bringing me to Tony. When the doors opened, I raised my head, and froze. I thought his workshop was going to be impressive, but impressive was an understatement. Through a glass wall I could see scraps of metal, unfinished projects, strewn all around the room, dropped in any place they could fit. To the left was one of the Iron Man suits, it's bottom half missing, hanging from chains, wires coming out of it's belly. In the middle of the mess was Tony's desk, barely visible under files and blueprints and crap. Behind that, was a row of vintage cars, fixed up and remodeled to perfection. It was what stood to the right that got me to step forward, getting closer to have a better look. Seven Iron Man suits stood proudly, the display arcing around into a semicircle. My hand pressed against the glass as a soft "wow" escaped my lips, a small smile forming.

"You can come in, you know."

Tony's voice took me out of my trance, and I found him standing up from behind the half put together suit, his hands black from working. He nodded toward the digital security system that appeared next to the glass door. I made eye contact with him to acknowledge his presence before going over to the door, pressing my palm up to the digital display. The palm print flashed green before the number pad came up.

"You said that you put me into the system the other day, right?" I said, glancing up.

"Yeah, you're code's 2559." He had grabbed a towel, wiping his hands off.

"How did you come up with that?" I asked, punching it in.

"It spells out Ally. I thought it would make it easier to remember."

"Yeah. Thanks."

He smiled at me as I pushed the door open, stepping into his temple. He waited for me to smile back, but I averted my gaze, looking around the rest of the room.

"So, what brings you down here?" he asked once he realized I was not ready to smile at him just yet.

"I was wondering if you'd give me a ride somewhere. I have a friend in Commack that I go the movies with every Saturday of the summer. I wasn't going to make him drive all the way to Manhattan, so I said I would go there. We wanted to meet at a restaurant near the theater at six; movie's at seven."

Tony smiled again. "Yeah, I'll drive you. What movie are you going to see?"

"I'm pretty sure we settled on G.I. Joe: Retaliation."

"Oh, I wanted to see that; it looks good."

I glanced over at him before taking a seat on the only work stool that didn't have clutter on top of it. "Yeah, that's why we picked it."

He chuckled as he saw my reaction. "Don't worry. I'm not asking to crash your little date."

"It's not a date!" I blurted out, probably too quickly than I would have liked. My cheeks going red, I looked toward the ground. Tony, however, started walking over, a wide smile on his face.

"Are you going with that kid you told me about?"

"What kid?"

"You know, the kid you have a crush on. You mentioned him when we were playing twenty questions before. It's him, isn't it? What was his name?"

I crossed my arms. "So, what if it is?"

"If it is, then I would make the very strong guess that he has the hots for you too, honey."

My cheeks grew an even darker shade of pink. "Aiden doesn't like me!"

"There we go- Aiden! That's his name." Tony smirked. "And of course he likes you! No teenage guy would go out with a girl every Saturday if he didn't like her."

"He would if they were best friends."

Tony nodded. "Ok. You keep on believing that. But, I'm telling you. If you tell him you like him, he'll fall right into your arms."

I opened my mouth to say something in response, but no response formed. I was flustered, and I furrowed my brow as I tried to think of something to say.

"You can't say anything," I finally declared. "To Aiden…about this. I want to tell him, but not now. You have to let me tell him."

"I won't say anything." He held up two fingers. "Scout's honor."

"It's three fingers." I stood up and went toward the door, placing my hand on the handle. "Just be ready to go at four-forty-five, ok? It's going to take us at least an hour to get there."

"Ok, ok," he chuckled, dropping his faulty salute. "Four-forty-five. Got it."

As he smiled at me one more time, I turned my back and left, heading back upstairs to get ready.


End file.
